Joy To the World: Christmas Collage



Christmas morning was everything it should be for a kid: sense of wonder, anticipation, and appreciation.  On December 23, Jesse assembled bicycles and the babies' toy while I wrapped all the gifts.  We knew Christmas Eve would be a busy evening spent with family and stuffing our faces.  We got home after 9 PM, put the kids to bed, then displayed all the presents.

Jesse used a free Kringl app that overlay Santa on a recording of our living room.  We showed it to Jackson as soon as he awoke on Christmas morning.  I would have LOVED this as a kid!

We chose to let the babies continue sleeping and give Jackson our undivided attention while he opened his presents.  Jackson didn't quite know what to do with himself once downstairs.  He immediately looked at the gifts, walked to the pantry, and requested something to eat.  After a few minutes he began digging into his gifts. 

He loved his new drill,

as well as his stocking stuffers.

The babies started fussing shortly after Jackson had finished opening his gifts.  They were much more interested in eating than opening their present.  (FYI, the ball toy was recommended by fellow triplet moms because it has enough space for each baby and accommodates babies that can sit, crawl, pull up, and walk.  The best part was that we purchased it for 66% off.)

Jesse's parents, aka the world's best MiMi and PaPa, came over with breakfast. Before we knew it, it was already time to load everyone up and head to my sister's house.  I am so proud of how mature my nieces and nephews are becoming.  This was the first year we drew names for the kids.  Even though my siblings and I agreed not to do it again, the kids had lots of fun.  My heart was nearly bursting witnessing some of their reactions.  There was such a genuine appreciation and contentment, which is something I rarely exhibited as a child. 

After lunch and presents with my side of the family, we drove an hour to spend Christmas evening with Jesse's family.  This was the first year (at least since I've been around) that Jesse's aunt and uncle also celebrated with us.  The more the merrier!   Our kids are so blessed to have so many people that love them.  There is never a dull moment with a big family.

Resourceful Baking Fun

Jesse brought this home from Aldi. 

Jackson was very eager to make the rice krispy treat house.  We followed the directions on the box but could NOT get the cooled rice krisy out of the mold.  I ended up scraping it out with my hands and shaping it into a large gingerbread man. 

Jackson did a great job and was proud of his work.

Our next resourceful dining was to use up the loaf of white bread from lunch on Sunday.  Our family never eats white anything (rice, pasta, bread, etc) but we didn't want to waste the loaf.  French toast it was.

Yum!

Finally, our last three bananas had nearly liquefied.  Rather than toss them, I found a recipe for lactation banana bread.

I added in a generous handful of chocolate chips to try and counteract the bitterness of brewer's yeast, flax, and fenugreek.  It's not the best tasting banana bread in the world, but certainly edible.

In addition to the above, we also made a pound cake and sausage balls for Christmas.  Jackson was the resident sous-chef.  It's been a busy 24 hours of baking!

Santa: Third Time's the Charm

Three random facts about our family and Santa:

1. Jackson is really into the whole idea of Santa this year.  He loves all things related to Mr. Claus.

2. I will never, ever pay money for a photo of my children with Santa.

3. I really wanted a picture with all three babies sitting on Santa's lap.  This was harder than I expected.

Jackson was the first to sit on Santa's lap during an impromptu visit at Lowe's.  I have no clue why Santa was at the hardware store, nor do I understand why Jesse let Jackson sit on Santa's lap without so much as a phone call to discuss it with me.  I was disappointed I didn't get to share in the experience, but I ended up getting two more chances during the following week. 

Our second visit with Santa was at Bass Pro Shop.  While Christmas shopping at the mall, we stopped by the store to see the fish.  I didn't expect Santa to be there at 10:30 a.m. on a Wednesday morning.  Since Jesse had already taken Jackson to see Santa, I didn't feel bad taking the babies without him.  There wasn't a wait, so we just walked right up to Santa.  I asked him if he was comfortable holding three children.  He responded positively.  I placed the girls on Santa's lap and Jackson stood in the middle.  As I went to give James to him, Santa quickly said, "No.  There's already three children.  I only have two hands."  I ended up semi-awkwardly standing beside him holding James.  Whatever...I can't be disappointed with a free picture.  Plus, I love the expression on Santa's face.

Our final attempt at sitting on Santa's lap was at our in-laws' church event.  They host an annual "Breakfast with Santa" that is always fun for the kids.  Jackson and his cousin, Levi, have a mutual admiration for one another.  They were too cute sitting on Santa's lap together. 

 

I was appreciative that this Santa was more than willing to hold all three babies at once.  James, Amelia, and Maddie were dressed in their new Christmas jammies for the cute photo op.  Love them!

The Christmas countdown is officially on--10 more days!

Ten Life Lessons

FYI, this is my 500th blog post!  Crazy!

Here are some things I've learned in the past week:

1. Home Owner's Association has way too much power.  Jesse received an e-mail saying we had two weeks to have the exterior power washed to remove mold and algae build up.  If it is not cleaned within two weeks, we will incur fines of $25 per day.  We have no choice since we signed a legal contract with HOA.

2. Those awesome Glad OvenWare dishes can resist heat of 450 degrees.  However, they will completely melt under the broiler.  We almost had a plastic pot pie for dinner.

3. Moving fragile ornaments to the top of the tree does not keep them out of reach from a persistent toddler.  Jackson pushes chairs around to climb up and play with the ornaments.  We've got quite the pile of broken Hallmark ornaments accumulating. 

4. The measurements of the frame of a stroller don't necessarily include the width with the wheels attached.  The Foundations Quad LX stroller is a beast and it doesn't fit through standard doorways.

5. Just because a formula is hypoallergenic does not mean it will taste good.  Maddie refuses to drink the Similac Alimentum, even if it is mixed with breastmilk.  Thankfully, she doesn't mind 4 oz of breastmilk fortified with one scoop of Enfamil Gentlease. 

6. Don't let your demented husband be in charge of hiding the family Elf or this might happen:

7. Cats are loyal and they will stick around FOREVER.  Even after evicting the cats, removing their litter boxes, and refusing to feed them, they still wait by our doorstep all day.  We can't get rid of them.

8. When you let your toddler sleep in the bed with you once, it can quickly become a habit.  Gone are the days of reading stories and tucking Jackson in his bed.  He regularly falls asleep in "our bed". 

9. Instant grits and quick cook grits are not the same thing.  After three failed attempts, I gave up on the cheaper canister of quick cook grits.

10. It's hard to enjoy a girl's night out when you're staring at the clock making sure you're home before the next feed.  Nothing ruins a cute outfit more than leaking boobs. 

And the Stockings Were Hung

Remember me saying, "I never wanted more than 2-3 kids"?   Well, for Jackson's first Christmas, I bought three stockings for our little family.  Being the obsessive planner that I am, I ran back out that same day and bought two more for my future children.  I wouldn't want stockings that didn't match, so I thought buying two extra would surely be enough. Again, I'm sure God is laughing at the thought that I'm the one in control here.     

A.C. Moore, Michael's, and two different Hobby Lobby stops later, I finally found a matching stocking.  I used a 50% off coupon from the weekly sales ads in addition to my 15% off teacher discount and bought iron-on letters for $2. FYI, I'm pretty sure this morning was the first time I've used an iron since making the stockings for Jackson's first Christmas two years ago.

In the past, the stockings were placed along the banister of our stairs, but six wouldn't fit so we had to get creative.  Jesse found the perfect spot between the dining room and living room.



Madeline's name just barely fit.

 Here's my new favorite view in the house:

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

I am well aware that it is only mid-November and I shouldn't even be allowed to post this until after Thanksgiving.  With that said, I am so excited about Christmas this year!  Three things happened yesterday that filled me with Christmas glee.

1. We had our photo shoot for the Christmas cards.  As you read from the last post, it was a bit of a headache.  However, wrapping presents, buying traditional Christmas pajamas, and taking pictures makes me so happy!

2. Jackson convinced Mr. Scrooge himself (aka Jesse) to buy this inflatable Santa Claus while grocery shopping yesterday.  Jackson could not be more excited about Christmas this year, though I'm trying to keep it minimal. 

3. This adorable ornament arrived in the mail, courtesy of my thoughtful mother-in-law.

Bring on the advent wreaths/calendar, carols, decorating, presents, baking, pajamas, and family gatherings.  I'm ready!